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Apr 13, 2008

Blind Dave's 7-day marathon ends in LondonBarely an hour had passed since their plane touched down on Australian soil and already Dave Heeley and Malcolm Carr were limbering up in a Sydney park, preparing for the fourth of what, by today, will be seven marathons, on seven continents, in seven days.

From the first marathon in the Falkland Islands, via Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Sydney, Dubai, Tunis and culminating today at the Flora London Marathon, the routine was the same.

What makes it all the more remarkable is the fact that Mr Heeley, 50, is blind.

The father-of-three from West Bromwich, who is nicknamed Blind Dave, is on the brink of becoming the first blind person to complete the seven-marathon challenge. Driven on by a desire to raise £1 million for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, he was running with a sighted guide, Mr Carr, nicknamed "Mad Mac", their wrists linked by a simple yellow strap.

Mr Heeley and Mr Carr have spent six months training, under the care of Dr Philip Glasgow, head physiotherapist at the Sports Institute Northern Ireland. "The key thing is not the running of the marathons, but being able to recover properly between them," he said.

For Mr Heeley, it is not the running that is most draining. "It's all the flying, the different climates," he said. "I'm shattered from it. I've lost count of the days."

"I am so looking forward to the finish line in London. I haven't a clue how I'm managing, I think it's pure bloody-mindedness. That, and the fact that I am absolutely, totally, around the bend."